Type-writer carriage and platen operating means.



W. A. HOWELL & A. l. V. WILSON.

TYPE WRITER CARRIAGE AND PLATEN OPERATING MEANS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2t. I917- 4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

ea. ATTORNEYS U Patented Apr. 30. 1918.

w. A. HOWELL & A. I. v. WILSON. TYPE WRITER CARRIAGE AND PLATEN OPERATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEZI, 19!]. I Patented Apr. 30.1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W. A. HOWELL & A. L'V. WILSON. TYPE WRITER CARRIAGE AND PLATENIOPERATING MEANS.

,APPLICATION FILED JUNEZI. I917.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

I W. A. HOWELL & A. I. V. WILSON. TYPE WRITER CARRIAGE AND PLATEN OPERATING MEANS.

APPLICATION FILED IUNEZI. I917.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

4 SHEE1SSHEET 4.

wmvsssm tirnn snares PNlnT cr me if.

WILLIAM A. HOWELL AND ALVIN'I. V. WILSON, 0F ATLANTA,- GEORGIA.

TYPE-WRITER CARRIAGE AND PLATEN OPERATING MEANS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itv known'that we, VVTLLIAM A. HowELL and ALVIN I. V. VVILsox, citizens of the United States, and. residents of Atlanta, in

the county of Fulton and State 'of Georgia,

have invented a new and Improved Type- Writer Carriage and Platen Operating Means, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to typewriting and other machines embodying a sheet carrier and platen, and the invention relates more particularly to key-controlled means for actuating the carriage and platen wlthout the need of the operator removing the hands from the keyboard,'so' that at any intermediate position or at the end of a line by the depression of a key on the keyboard, the carriage will automatically return to ini tial position and simultaneously the platen will tnrnto move the paper for the next line orreturn to any intermediate position.

The invention has for its objects to im prove the construction and operation of mechanism of the character referred to so as to be reliable and efi'icientin use, comparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture,-and so designed as to be applicable to various types of typewriting and kindred machines.

.A morespecificobject of the invention is the provision of a carriage-operating means which includes a spring or other motor for moving the carr age during the writing travel and which is constantly kept-energized by means operated bythe pressing of the usual keys, therc being a special key which disconnects the said motor means from the carriage, so that the same can be returned to normalposition by a spring or othermotor means of less power than the first motor-means,and when the carriage has reached'theend of its return movement the first motor, means is automatically connected with the carriage .tocause the same to move as the type again in the writing'direction writer keys are manipulated.

Another object of the invention is to provide automatic means ofnovel construction for turning the plat-errone. two or three spaces each time the carriage returns, and incombination with said feeding means for the platen is a, n1anuall y operated key, whereby the platen can be turned independently by thepperator whenever it is necessary.

( ceeds, the invention mg the features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be set forth with particularity in the illustrate one embodiment of the invention and wherein slmllar characters of reference Patented Apr. 3d, 1918.

is to provide means for as the description pro comprises various novel following description and. claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings whichindicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 is a vertical of a typewriter to illustrate the invention, the carriage of the typewriter being shown in approximately mid position, the section being taken on the line 11, Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on the line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontal sections, respectively on the lines 3-3 and 4-4, Fig.- 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the motor means and associated parts for movcarriage during the writing of a line;

Fig. his a detail carriage-return motor means;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 7-7, Fig; 5, to show the slip device in the carriage motor means;

section of suflicient sectional view of the Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are detail sectional Views on a reduced scale, respectively on the lines 8-8, 9-t1 and 10-10, Fig. 5; and

Fig. 11 is a sectional vlew on the line 11-- 11, Fig. 1, showing the means for actuating the platen.

In the present instance the invention is shown in connection wrth an Oliver means from the carriage, the locking of such typc-' writer, but it is to be understood that it is means and the operating of the platen feed ing device, and J o the manually operate means for theplaten feeding device. i The frame A, carriage B, platen-C and keyboard D are of usual construction. The carriage B is connected with cords 1 and 2,

respectively, at the points 3 and 4, and the v cords wind respectively on the reels or drums the 5 and 6. The drum 5 is loosely mounted on er end of a vertical shaft 7, Fig. 5, and t e under side of the drum 5 has clutch teeth 8, which engage corresponding clutch teeth 9 on a drum or housin 11 of the .spring 12 which constitutes the main or inajor carriage operating means to move the carriage during the writing of inner end a line. The 13. of the coiled spring 12 is engaged 'in'a slot 14in the shaft 7, so that by the turning of the shaft the spring can be end of wound and placedunder tension. The outer h spr ng s connected by a Sllp con nection with the drum 11. This slip connection includes a plurality of ivoted dogs 15 which swing on individual pins 16, and each dog has a projection or nose 17, and on the free end of the spring is a catch 18 to releasably engage the nose of one of the dogs,

. but when the tension of the spring exceeds a predetermined amount, the free end of the spring flexes and the catch 18 slips off the engaged dog and flies to the next dog, this operation being repeated as long as the spring tends to increase in tension beyond a certain point. The maximum tension of the springcan be adjusted by changing the position of the dogs with respect to the center of the spring. For this purpose each pin 16 is slidable'in a radial slot 19 in the bottom 20 of the casing 11, and-under the casing 11 is a plate 21 rotatable concentrically with the shaft 7, and in this plate are curved slots 22 lying' between radial and tangential lines. The pins 16 engage in these slots so. that by the turning of the plate 21 the pins canbe thrown inwardly or outwardly, and as adjacent dogs 15 overlap, the inward or outward movement of the pins 16 on the dogs will throw the latter toward or from the center of the spring, and consequently the tension at which the spring will snap from one dog to the next can be varied as desired. The plate 21 is held in any desired position of adjustment by means of a latch -23 pivoted at 24 thereon and engageable in anyone of a number of recesses 25 in the periphery of the casing 11, as shown in- Figs. 5 and 10.

The spring 12 is adapted to be kept under tension by impulses from the operation of the keyboard levers. For this purpose the depressible frame H lies under the levers 26 of the keyboard and is pivoted on the machine frame at 27, Fig.. 2, the said frame including a bar 28 extending transversely, .t o the lovers 26 so that when any lever 263355;,

. ame;

depressed the frame H is also depressed and caused to wind the spring 12'. This winding is effected by means of a pawl 29 on the depressible frame H, and a ratchet wheel 30 engaged -'by the pawl, said wheel being mounted on a horizontal shaft 31, as clearly .sh'own in 5. The shaft 31 isjournalcd in beafq ngs 32 on the machine frame and has' a bevel gear 33 meshing with a bevel gear 34"on the lower end of the shaft 7, which latter is journaled in a vertical hearing 35. On the shaft 31 is a knob or equiva:

lent device 36 whereby the spring 12 can be wound initially by hand. When the spring is wound to the desired tension, the operation of the keyboard levers does not increase the tension more than a determinable amount,

regulated by the slip connection, since the spring slips successively past the dogs 15. When the carriage returns, the main or major motoruneans E must be disconnected from the carriage. This is done by moving the spring casing 11 downwardly so as to disengage the teeth 8 from the teeth 9. When this is done the drum or reel 5 is supported on a collar 37 on the shaft, as

shown in Fig. 5.

The downward movement' of the spring casing 11 is effected by a key lever 38 of the controlling device I. This leverhas pivotally connected to it at 39, Figs. 1 and 2, an upstanding rod that'slides in a fixed guide 41. The upper end of the rod is formed into a horizontal fork 42 that spring casing 11 cannot turn, and then by moving the member 44 farther downwardl the teeth 8 and 9 are disengaged so that tl e reel 5 is free to turn during the return movement of the carriage. Under the member/'47 is a spring 48 which operates on the tubular member 45 so as to hold the casing 11 nor mally raised, with the teeth 9 thereof engaged with the teeth 8. On the member 44 are escapement teeth 49 with which engages an escapement 50 pivoted at 51 on the shifter 40. By oscillating the escapement by hand when the key lever 38" is held depressed, it is possible to allow the spring 11 [to unwind to any desired extent if the tension is ever found to be too reat, and then by adjusting the position 0 the dogs, the maximum tension will be determined.

The; motor means F. for returning the carriage includes the reel 6, which has within it a spring52'which has its outer end connectedv with the reel at 53, and its inner end and on the lower end vertical shaft 55. This shaft is mounted in a fixed bearing 56 on the machine frame, of the shaft'is an escapement wheel 57 and a knob or equivalent device 58. An escapement 59 co6perates with the wheel 57 so that the shaft can be turned to adjust the tension of the spring 52.

i r The platen feeding device G includes a gear 60 that meshes with the usual toothed rod 61. The gear is turned by means of vertically reciprocatory clutch levers 62 which are pivoted at 63 on a link 64. These levers have downwardly extending arms 65 and are connected by slot and pin connections 66 with a cross head 67 on the upper end of a lifter 70, so that when the latter is raised, the levers are operated so that their upper ends will engage recesses 71 in the opposite faces of the gears 60, and then by further movement of the lifter the levers will operate by a crank connection with the gear to impart to the latter a partial turn, which willturn the toothed rod 61, that in turn partially-rotates the platen C, this being effected by gears 72 on the end of the toothed rod 61 meshing with gears 73 that are pressed by springs 74 into engagement with clutch cones 75 keyed to the journals 76 of the platen. The clutch levers 62 are held normally disengaged from the gears i the lower fulcrum lifter 70 is adapted to be actuated by the is connec d t (30 by a spring 77 pressing downwardly on ends of the levers. The

key lever 38. As shown in )ressing of the l the lower end of the lifter,

igs. l and '11, which latt eluding 2" rnbuckle device 78, has a yoke 79 which carries a pin 80 that passes through a slot 81 in ,the lever 82, whichis connected at 83 with the key lever 38, so that when the latter is depressed, the lever 82 will be actuated to cause the slotted end 81 thereof to move'the yoke 79 upwardly to cause the platen C to turn as described The extent ofniowement of the lifter 70, and consequently the feed of the platen, is variable by changing the fulcrum Stof the lever 82. This fulcrum 84 is carried by a slide 85 movable in a guide 86, there being a projection 87 on the slide engageable in any one of a 'plurality of recesses 88 in the guide 86. A

spring 89 presses the slide downwardly to yieldingly maintain the projection 87 in any recess 88. A rod 90 is connected with the slide 85 and extends outwardly through one side of theanachine base and terminates in a knob 91, as shown in Fig. 1. The lever 82 has a longitudinal slot 92 for enablingthc fulcrum pin 84 to be shifted back and forth. It is desirable to actuate the platen by hand, and for tlli pur ose a key le er 93, Fig. 1,

9a with a lever 95 which is ;the k'e'y lever 93, the lever 95 is the. levers 82 and 95,

upwardly, .Idoes not interfere with this movement.

is adjustable as to length by in-.

fulcrumed at 96 in the machine base, said le- Ver having a slot 97 behind the slot 81 of the lever 82, and the pin 80 of the yoke-7 9 also passes through the slot 97. By actuating tilted so as to operate through the feeding deviccGwto turn the platen. In the normal position of the pin 80 of the yoke is at the bottom of the slots 81 and 97, and ,when either lever is actuated, the slotted end is raised so as to carry the pin and yoke and the slot of the otherlever The lifter 7 0 is guided in a frame 68 which i is suitably fastened to the main frame, and a gear wheel 60 is mounted in a frame69 which is also suitably mounted on the main frame. v s From the foregoing descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and method ofioperation will be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while we have described the principle of operation, together with the apparatus which we now consider to be them best embodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that theappara tus shown is merely illustrative and that such changes maybe made when desired as fall within the scope of the appended claims. Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters lgj'atent: a

1. A machine of the class described comprising a carriage, a winding druni, a flexlble element connected with t e carriage and adapted to wind on the drum, a spring drum, saiddrums being axially movable one with respect to the other, clutch teeth normally connecting the drums ,to move as a unit, a key-depressed device, a ratchet manna o)- erated by the device, a winding spring in the spring drum connected with the ratchet means for winding the sprin a key connected with the axially 1nova le drum flfor engaging or disengaging the drums,and means for preventing the spring drum from turning when the drums are disengaged.

In a machine of the class described, the combination of a carriage, an operating means therefor including a rotatable ele-- ment, a drum associated with the element and movable axially to engage and disengage the element and'drum, a vertical shaft for the drum and element, a spring in the drum, a key-operated mechanism' for winding the sprin when the keys of the machine are depresse a key-operated means for moving the drum into and out of engaged position, means on the shaft for supporting ghe element when the drum is moved thereroni, against rotation when disengaged.

3. In a machine of the class described, the

lid

and a devtce for locking the drum 4. In a machine of the class described,

the combination of a carriage, a rotary element; connected with the carriage for mov- ,ing the same, a drum disposed under the her into engagement wit element, clutch teeth between the drum and element, a spring inthe drum, a shafton which the drum and element are mounted and to which the spring is connected, a keyoperated device for taming the shaft to wind the spring, a toothed clutch member connected with the drum, a slidable toothed member normally'disengaged from the first- .mentioned toothed member, and a key-operated, device for movingx tlkile sfpcond 111%:-

t e rst mem r turning and for to prevent the drum from moving-the drum out of engagement with the said element.

5. The combination-of a carriage, spring means for moving the carriage in one direction, a keyboard, means actuated by the keyboard for keeping the spring means under tension, spring means for returning the earriage, a key-actuated device for disconnecting the first-mentioned spring means from the carriage and permitting the secondmentioned spring means to operate, a platen on the carriage, and means actuated by the key-actuated device for turning the platen.

6. The combination of a carriage, spring means for moving'the carriage in one direction, a keyboard, means actuated by the keyboard for keeping the spring means under tension, spring means for returning the carriage, a key-actuated device for disconnecting the first-mentioned spring means from the carriage and permitting the secondmentioned spring meansto operate, a platen on the carriage, means actuated by the'keyactuated device for turning the platen,and

means'independent of the last-mentioned E means for permittmg independent turning of the platen I 7. The combination of a carriage, a platen thereon, a spring motor for movin the carrlage in the wrlting direction, a c utch between the motor and carriage, a keyboard,

means actuated by the keyboard to wind the spring of the motor, a key-actuated device for opening the first-mentioned clutch and lockingthe spring motor from unwinding, a lever connected with the device, and feeding means connected with the platen and connected with the said lever for turning the platen by the movement of the lever.

8. The combination of a carriage, a platen thereon, a spring motor for moving the carriage in the writingdirection, tween the motor and carriage, a keyboard,

a clutch be means actuated by the keyboard to wind the spring of the motor, a key-actuated device for opening the first-mentioned clutch and locking the spring motor from unwinding, a lever connected with the device, feeding means connected with the platen and connected with the said lever for turning the platen by the movement of the lever, a second lever, manual means operating the second lever, and slot and pin connections be tween the levers and the said feeding means.

9. The combination of a carriage, a platen thereon, a sprin motor for movin riage in the Writing direction, tween the motor and carriage, a keyboard,

means actuated by the keyboard to windtlie,

spring of the motor, a key-actuated device for opening the first-mentioned'clutch and looking the spring motor from unwinding, a lever bonnected with the device, coding means connected with the platen and connected with the said lever for turning the platen by the movement of the lever, and an adjustable fulcrum for the said lever.

1Q. The combination of a carriage, a platen, a relatively fixed gear, a gear on and movable with the carriage and meshing with the first-mentioned gear, clutch levers, 1v-

movable member having slot and pin connections with the clutch levers, spring means normally holding the clutch levers disengagedfrom the first-mentioned gear, and

means for actuating the member to move the clutch levers into engagement with the gdar levers to turn the gear.

WILLIAM A. HOWE L, VYALVIN 1. v. WILSON.

and thereafter operating through the clutch the cara c utch be- 

